9:07 pm. Cordoba ARG FX: Hit the first couple of passes that I saw, then a solid double full.

Boncser HUN VT: Handspring Rudi, omg his run was SOOOOO WEIRD, he walked like five steps and then stopped basically, and then burst into a spring LOL. What the hell. Pretty decent vault though.

Just an 11.4 for Bitencourt.

9:04 pm. Kardos HUN VT: Solid kaz full.

Zou CHN PH: His swing is sooooo aggressive and fast. Omg, then right at the end, his hand slips and he goes flying off!!!!!!!!!! Without Weng Hao here, he was one of the top pommel workers here for the team. Back on to travel forward and back, then dismounts. Yikes.

Ng HKG SR: Hit routine!

Bitencourt BRA HB: Misses his layout Tkachev, face plants. Back on and repeats the layout, then a straddle Tkachev, then a straddle half. Good this time. Omg, blind change, his hand slips and he swings back with just one hand before going flying off again. Back on for the full-twisting double layout with a hop.

Boncser HUN VT: Kaz 1.5, a little wild on the landing.

9:00 pm. After a weak floor rotation, China loses a little bit of the edge they had over Russia and are now just two tenths ahead.

8:59 pm. Souza BRA PB: Fab routine but even more fabulous was the guttural scream he released when he hit his dismount.

8:58 pm. Lin CHN FX: Stumbled back and nearly sat his first pass. Hit the second one, and then a double double with a little hop for the third. Double full side pass with a hop. Messy and crunched landing on his triple full, also over time. Yikes?

8:55 pm. Xiao CHN FX: I missed his first pass or two I think. Caught it from the double layout, solid and stuck. Big stumble on the punch Randi. Flairs are fab and he gets applause. Triple full, a little messy in the ankles, hop.

Jato ARG HB: Full-twisting DLO dismount is solid, all I saw though.

Barretto BRA PB: Solid set, piked double back with a step back.

8:52 pm. Deng CHN FX: Piked double front, deep but hit. A little scoot to the side on the pass after that, was it a quad maybe?? I missed the entry. 2.5 to Rudi after that. Punch front double full. Good triple full to finish.

8:48 pm. China is now more than two points ahead of Russia! Keep on building it up.

Kardos HUN SR: Hit routine!

Sun CHN FX: Piked double front, low, step back. Front double full to front layout. Suuuuper low and long 2.5, still gets the barani out of it. Hit the pass after that. Punches into a Rudi. Hit the rest I believe.

Al Souliman SYR PH: Little form breaks but really impressive! He’s done NOTHING internationally before so this is a huge meet for him. Actually may have come off…he kind of bowed and then walked away but then I think he got back on to repeat the dismount.

B. Almeida POR VT: Missed his steps and jumped over the table, like Ana Derek at the Olympics. 😦

8:42 pm. Vecsernyes HUN PB: Hit routine, some suspect little form things in there but he’ll be happy with that.

Jato ARG PB: Hit routine!

Lin CHN HB: Cassina, Kolman, crooked on his hop full, layout Tkachev half, Yamawaki, kind of a rough double double layout, almost puts his knee down on his lunge forward. Not the cleanest overall.

Souza BRA VT: Dragulescu for the second vault, looked good, a little cowboyed and crooked/to the side, but huuuuuge.

Villafane ARG PB: Hit routine, looked good from what I saw.

8:35 pm. Bitencourt BRA VT: Kaz 1.5, not the best, step out of it.

I missed Deng Shudi’s high bar. 😦 It started before my page would load. Rage. He gets a 14.3 (6.1 D, 8.2 E).

Also missed the Syrian gymnast Yazan Al Souliman on floor, but he hit! Got a lot of applause too.

Souza BRA VT: Kaz double, solid!

8:31 pm. China now has a 1.5 lead over the Russians after two rotations!

8:28 pm. Lin CHN PB: Double back release to his armpits, those look so painful, lovely and slow one-arm swing, front straddle salto, all very nice. Press handstand to Ono is lovely, then holds a handstand for 45 minutes before his piked double back, chest down but stuck.

8:27 pm. Barretto BRA SR: Double front to double pike to straddle planche, maybe a wee bit too quick. Swings up to handstand, stuck the piked double front dismount. Yoooo if Brazil keeps this up after that pommels rotation, they’re making the team final.

8:26 pm. Xiao CHN PB: A couple of the double salto releases. Huge front straddle salto. Walking in handstand got a little shady. I wish I liked p-bars more so I could truly appreciate the Chinese here. Piked double back is clean, step on the dismount.

Zanetti BRA SR: Nice maltese to iron cross I believe. Second iron cross is also strong. The rest is brilliant. Full-twisting double layout with a hop forward to finish.

8:22 pm. Kardos HUN FX: Hit his first two passes that I saw. Omg he has like, twirly choreo before his side pass, bless. Double full, little hop. Good routine.

Zou CHN PB: Why is he up second!? They’re like he’ll get a 75,000 E score even if he’s the leadoff, nbd. He gets crazy air on his releases. Lovely release pressed into handstand. Double front half-out, a little forward, step.

8:19 pm. Sheppard HUN FX: Hit the first pass, then a 2.5 to front tuck full. Front double full, comes out of it late so barely gets the punch out of it and skids it back but doesn’t fall. Arabian double front, low and squatted but again stands up out of it.

Jato ARG VT: Hit his FTY, solid enough.

8:17 pm. I missed all of Argentina on rings but they’re not really known for that event so I’m gonna brush that one off.

8:13 pm. Vecsernyes HUN HB: One-arm pirouette, stoop full, arm goes a little nuts, stoop half, layout Tkachev, oof, his Kolman is nuts in the air, not as clean as usual, straddle Tkachev, straddle Tkachev half caught a little late, Yamawaki, love his layout full over the high bar, good landing. Don’t know if it’ll be enough for the final with the form breaks but fingers crossed.

Mariano BRA PB: Another one I watched out of the corner of my eye but everything looked solid!

8:10 pm. Lin CHN VT: Another casual kaz double, a little messy with a step OOB but tons of power on that.

S. Almedida POR FX: Double front is good, crashes his next pass OOB.

Xiao CHN VT: Damn, another kaz double, this one was excellent. China, man.

Boncser HUN HB: Saw most of this out of the corner of my eye and it looked good, also seems like he stuck the dismount.

Barretto BRA PH: Really solid set from him!

8:08 pm. Deng CHN VT: I missed what he did but his landing looked like it had a little bobble.

Sheppard HUN HB: Hit everything at the start, stuck the DLO full dismount.

Sun CHN VT: Kaz double, just a step to the side. Good for him! So happy to just see him on this team.

so top four is russia china japan and us? that would be real interesting if russia can pull a little upset over china and japan… i doubt the us will be able to podium unless there is a big error among the other 3